The secret of secrets by Dan Brown

Wow! Dan Brown has written another epic tale that twists mystery, mystical ideas, myths, the CIA and danger, with the scientific investigation of the brain and the nature of consciousness. This is a journey that will have your own brain exploding with the exploration of your own thinking about the nature of life, death, ESP, end-of-life experiences and the power of thought itself. This mind-blowing tale is set in the intriguing environment of Prague’s historical buildings and amongst the quirks of Czech culture (cosplay-like costumes of mythical creatures eg Golem (note - not Tolkien’s iteration) are routinely seen in the streets). Main characters, Dr. Katherine Solomon, an American researcher who investigates human consciousness and Professor Robert Langdon, her academic friend (and possible romantic partner) whose area of interest crosses into religion, mythology, symbolism and metaphysics, together are thrust into an intriguing but dangerous mystery when the impending release of Katherine’s next book somehow creates impossible dilemmas amongst the Intelligence community. The loss of a manuscript is the entry point into a world of scientific investigation and fear about the release of ideas that might impact the equilibrium of the world. Death and disaster follow. Investigation of consciousness seems to be more than just a scientific or philosophical inquiry. 

This action-adventure with espionage and embassy officials intertwined with scientific investigation into the ‘impossible’ world of consciousness and thought transfer (and possibly Human-to-Machine - H2M intelligence) is a murky adventure. One character has a unique capacity to think wisely and widely, utilising eidetic memory to remember what few can perceive, and acts more like an uber-intelligent spy than an academic. The dangers everyone faces are the result of a world engaged in fear and the desire to weaponise even the power of thought. At first I found this book uncomfortable and was slow to connect to the strange mix of book thievery and hacking and the ideas of the nature of consciousness, but the pace and intensity of the danger soon created an intensely powerful dramatic pull and interest that was compelling. This is a book for adult readers and thinkers. It is written with intellectual power and appropriate intrigue that will make you consider ideas about the nature of life itself, the soul and identity, the morality of warfare and weaponry, and will probably resonate long after the last page.

Themes: Mystery, Mysticism, Metaphysics, Consciousness, Neuroscience, Science-fiction, Biotechnology, Espionage, CIA, Death, Book-publishing, Eidetic memory (photographic memory).

Carolyn Hull